Since the premiere of Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s documentary “Weed” back in August, the general public has quickly come to understand the miraculous healing power of cannabidiol, or CBD. The political perception of medical marijuana changed forever when parents saw little Charlotte Figi, the girl with intractable epilepsy, go from hundreds of seizures a week to just one or two, thanks to CBD treatments.

But that change in perception isn’t a good one. For now there are two types of medical marijuana – CBD-Only and “euphoric marijuana”, as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie calls medical marijuana that contains THC. Just as “We’re Patients, Not Criminals” cast non-patients as criminals, the lobbying for these new CBD-Only laws relies heavily on pointing out that CBD is a “medicine that doesn’t get you high”, which casts THC at best as a medicine with an undesirable side effect and at worst as not a medicine but a drug of abuse.

This is a disaster both politically and medically; let’s begin with the former. Politically, whole plant medical marijuana (the kind with THC in it) began in 1996 in California and from that point, it took eleven years before there were a dozen whole plant medical marijuana states in America. CBD-Only medical marijuana began in March in Utah and from that point, it’s taken only four months to put us on the brink of a dozen CBD-Only medical marijuana states.

Also consider that of those first dozen whole plant states, eight of them were passed by citizen ballot initiative. All twelve of the CBD-Only laws were passed by state legislatures, often by unanimous or near-unanimous votes. Every legislature that has taken up the issue of CBD-Only medical marijuana has seen the legislation fly through the committees and both chambers (except Georgia, and that state was only derailed by some parliamentary shenanigans by one legislator). Take North Carolina this week as an example.

On Tuesday, a committee of the North Carolina House of Representatives cancelled a meeting to discuss a CBD-Only bill. No rescheduled date for the meeting was announced. Local newspapers on Wednesday posted headlines that the bill’s passage was unlikely. The Senate wasn’t likely to pass the bill in this short session that ends next week. There would be no good reason for the House to move forward with the bill.

But on Wednesday afternoon, the meeting was suddenly rescheduled and the CBD-Only bill passed unanimously. This morning (Thursday) the bill was heard by a second committee and passed immediately. This afternoon it was heard and amended on the House floor where it passed 111-2. It now awaits passage by the state Senate.

By the end of this week, it seems North Carolina could become the 12th CBD-Only state, joining Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri (awaiting governor’s signature), New York (governor’s executive order), South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and Wisconsin. Why are legislators so fast to pass these CBD-Only bills? It’s fair to assume politicians are moved by the plight of epileptic children. With CBD-Only, there’s no downside of being the guy or gal who voted for legalizing something that “gets you high”. But even so, how do these bills move so fast and garner little to no opposition?

Because CBD-Only bills are political cover. Voting for the CBD-Only bill allows the politicians to say they’re sympathetic to the plight of sick people and want to help patients get any medicine that will ease their suffering. But they can also still play the “tough on drugs” game and maintain their support from law enforcement and prison lobbies. Their vote garners headlines that a politician formerly considered “anti-medical marijuana” has “changed his mind” or “altered her stance” on medical marijuana. Best of all, it gets the sick kids and their parents out of the legislative galleries and off the evening news. For the politicians in these conservative states, it makes the medical marijuana issue go away, or at least puts the remaining advocates in the “we want the marijuana that gets you high” frame where they are more easily dismissed.

Medically, the CBD-Only laws are also a disaster. Cannabidiol is just one constituent of cannabis and by itself, it doesn’t work as well as it does with the rest of the plant. Dr. Raphael Machoulem, the Israeli researcher who discovered THC (the cannabinoid that “gets you high”), called it “the entourage effect”, the concept of many cannabinoids and other constituents working in concert, synergistically. To make an overly-simple analogy, it’s as if we discovered oranges have vitamin C in them, but banned oranges completely and only allowed people with scurvy to eat vitamin C pills. Yes, those pills can help you if you’re vitamin deficient, but any nutritionist will tell you eating the whole orange will not only allow your body to absorb the vitamin C better, the fiber from the orange is also good for your body, and oranges taste delicious, which makes you a little happier. Plus, if oranges are in your diet, you’re not going to get scurvy in the first place.

The authors of these CBD-Only bills aren’t writing them for optimal medical efficacy, however, they’re writing them for political cover. The parents treating their children in Colorado with CBD oil will tell you that it takes quite a bit of tinkering with the ratio of CBD to THC in the oil to find what works best for their child’s type of seizures. Some of these kids need a higher dose of THC. But the legislators write the laws mostly to ensure that the THC “that gets you high” is nearly non-existent.

The North Carolina law, for instance, mandates that the oil contains at least 10 percent CBD and less than 0.3 percent THC. That’s a CBD:THC ratio of at least 34:1. For comparison, an article by Pure Analytics, a California cannabis testing lab, discusses the high-CBD varietals most in demand by patients are “strains with CBD:THC ratios of 1:1, 2:1, and 20:1.” The article explains how a breeding experiment with males and females with 2:1 ratios produced 20:1 ratio plants about one-fourth of the time. It also describes a strain called “ACDC” that “consistently exhibited 16-20% CBD and 0.5-1% THC by weight.” That’s one variety with a range of 16:1 to 40:1. But you must only use the ones that are 34:1 or higher.

Sour Diesel cross with Sensi Star, Death Star's effects are a building pressure in the eyes and around the back of the head and temples to start off, with an increase in heart rate and some perspiration happening at times. The body started buzzing early on and this keeps up throughout the experience, though it turns to more of a warming feeling as it goes on.

Marijuana and booze get compared all the time. Two substances, which people say are quite similar, while at the same time being at opposites ends of the substance spectrum. While alcohol kills 88,000 people a year (drunk driving, overdose, accident victims), a marijuana death has still not been reported. However, alcohol is legal and can be bought at any corner store. Marijuana is still very much the subject of prohibition and therefore, doesn't bring in anywhere near the sum that alcohol does. In the legal state of Colorado, we're beginning to see the real effects of marijuana legalization... A push against the booze business.

In Denver, there is a county fair that takes place that attracts hundred of visitors from all over the state. Usually, the fair hosts a beer pavilion but this year, don't expect to see it. Instead, the weed pavilion will be doubling in size, in an effort to replicate the amazing turn outs at other cannabis shindigs, such as the High Times Cannabis Cups, Seattle Hempfest, and the Boston Freedom Rally. The weed pavilion will host contests much like the ones held at the aforementioned events, including the best plants, judging of pot brownies, a speed joint rolling contest, and oh my god, a Doritos eating contest! So say goodbye to the beer!

The events will be 21+ so youngins, don't get your hopes up too fast! There also won't be any pot present on the fair site but the plant judging, brownie eating, and potency contests will be hosted at an offsite location and be fed back to the fair via video. Definitely a good compromise, seeing as the county fair is a family event. This meet-in-the-middle model will allow the stoners to enjoy the fair as well as the families who are used to a PG outing. But if parents plan on taking their kids, they should be aware that glass vendors and other products will be available for purchase at the fair (providing you're age appropriate).

Think Denver officials will be upset? Doubtful. With the absence of alcohol, there aren't many issues expected. In fact, the profits from the event are already through the roof, due to the awesome graphics of the pot pavilion's poster. The graphic features a cherry pie with a marijuana leaf cut out of it. Selling for $20 a pop, the posters have already outsold the main graphic for the fair. Not only that, but bud sponsors are paying top dollar for their spot to be a part of the first pot pavilion. OpenVape, a Denver based company, has paid $10,000 for a place at the fair and Medically Correct, an edibles making company, has put up $5,000. The medicated treat company is also planning on hiring shuttles to drive potheads back and forth to the recreational stores and shops so they can get their weed on during the fair... Hey, they had to make the Doritos contest interesting!

This strain is well known for being super potent with a mild citrus or tropical aroma. Cindy is great for daytime use and provides plenty of energy. Be careful not to underestimate C-99. Cinderella 99 is a sativa-dominant strain and provides all the good sativa benefits.

While Canadians are known for their super laid back approach to the marijuana business and have been a pioneer in new aspects of the plant, they've really taken a few steps back with this new invention of theirs. The invention? A cannabis breathalyzer that will supposedly show how much a person has smoked when they get pulled over on the side of the road. The goal? To get Canadians to fear punishment and adjust their lax attitude.

Kal Malhi is a former member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, division of drug enforcement, and is the person behind the cannabis breathalyzer. Dr. Raj Attariwala, a Vancouver radiologist, helped out with this creation as well. The two say that the most accidents that end up coming through the ER are people who have been impaired somehow. Citizens of Canada are outraged, considering that the benefits outnumber those of alcohol and now the two are being treated the same way. But while most people will explain that cannabis doesn't have the negative effects that alcohol does, a study in 2011 that was published in the BC Medical Journal suggests that cannabis "like alcohol, impairs the psychomotor skills required for save driving. Cannabis intoxication slows reaction time and impairs automated tasks such as tracking ability (staying in the same lane) or monitoring the speedometer."

Malhi and Attariwala say that people are getting really afraid to drink and drive, since the laws against being drunk while behind the wheel are seriously harsh. But while those laws are intense, the laws against being high while driving are simply a 24-hour roadside suspension. These two don't think that that penalty is enough. The Cannabis Breathalyzer will make it easier for police to detect who has been smoking as well as come in useful at workplaces that drug test. The invention still has a lot of testing and work to be done on it and is expected to pass through the necessary authorities within the next 18 months.